Blog Activity: Searching as Strategic Exploration

QUESTIONS:

1. What individuals or organizations would generate information about the use, design, distribution and/or manufacture of prosthetic limbs?

AND

2. How and where would the groups disseminate the information that they produced on the topic?



Prosthesis is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through trauma, disease, or congenital conditions. Prosthetics are intended to restore the normal functions of the missing body part. Prosthetic amputee rehabilitation is primarily coordinated by a prosthetist and an inter-disciplinary team of health care professionals including psychiatrists, surgeons, physical therapists, and occupational therapists. Prosthetics are created with CAD (Computer-Aid Design), a software interface that helps creators visualize the creation in a 3D form.


The organizations that create such information include universities that provide courses on the designs of prosthetics, psychologists, specialists, researchers, patients, and health departments. The following organizations were identified as they are dealing with the use, design, distribution and/or manufacture of prosthetic limbs.


Identified Organizations:
1. SAOPA - South African Orthotic and Prosthetic Association

This Executive Team of this association is formed by 9 Private Orthotic & Prosthetic Practitioners and 1 Junior Lecturer from the Department of Medical Orthotics and Prosthetics at Tshwane University of Technology. The association provides advice on professional laws on the practice and service delivery of prosthetics. They host conferences and events that supports the development and education on prosthetics. They provide assistance to reimbursement institutes/clinics and they facilitate communication between reimbursement institutes and orthotic and prosthetic profession. 
This organization is also involved in the design, manufacturing and fitting of splints, braces, surgical appliances (orthotics) and artificial limbs (prosthetics).The organization is based in Centurion, Pretoria.

Information dissemination
Information is provided on their website: http://www.saopa.co.za/
They also hold conferences and seminars. Their latest seminar was held at Birchwood Conference Centre in Johannesburg on the 13 -14 October 2017. The aim of the seminar was to encourage dialogue and discussion and most of the presentations were followed by a panel discussion to enable delegates an opportunity to take part and share their views. The preliminary program included the coding and categorization proposal, Medical scheme queries and practice billing profiling, NHI update as well as sessions with practical demonstrations.

2. Ossur Academy

This is an institution that provides education and knowledge to orthotists, prosthetics, patients, and medical professionals on the developments of prosthetics and patient care. Their website provides information on how to choose the right prosthetic leg(s). What I liked about website is that the organization also included a prosthetics catalogue that shows how each prosthetic is uniquely designed to suit each amputee's needs and lifestyle. They have a customer service page where they invite customers and distributors to contact them for more information. They are situated in Brackenfell, Cape Town.
Dissemination of information
They are available on:
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
LinkedIn and other social media websites.

3. Prosthetic Suppliers
Established in year 2000, Prosthetic Suppliers supply prosthetics products, prosthics (arranged in categories, selicon liners, sealing systems), advertise new products, orsthetic components, materials, machines and tools and wheelchairs. On the website, they provided videos of prosthetics patients and how they managing life with prosthetics. They are situated in Uppington, Western Cape. 

Dissemination of information   
They unfortunately have information available on their website only, www.prosthetics.co.za


4. Malcolm Freedman Orthotist & Prostetist

They are the designers of prosthetic limbs, knee prostheses, silocone suspension sleeve, prosthetic covers, breast prosthesis and orthotics products.

Dissemination of information

They are available on:

Twitter
Facebook
Google+
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Blog and more social media sites


5. Michael Nel Prosthetics

They design and select prosthesis that suite each patients need based on their personal lifestyle and personal requirements. They also have a rehabilitation services to amputees. They provide low activity prosthesis, moderate activity, high activity, sports prosthesis, and breast prosthesis. They are part of SAOPA.

Dissemination of information

They are available on:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

6.
 They deal with the psychological part of things, providing counselling and emotional support to victims. They are the health care professionals who work with people who have lost limbs recognizes that the psychological challenges their patients battle every day are tough.

Information dissemination

They are available on:
Facebook
Twitter
RSS Feeds
LinkedIn

7. Local Government Public Hospitals and Clinics
They providing orthotic and prosthetic services and patients  have to be referred  by either an orthopaedic surgeon/orthopaedic sister/physiotherapist or occupational therapist.








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